Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The phone and tablet space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

SLINGSHOT RACING

iOS

There’s a lot to love about Slingshot Racing, easily launching it to the top of the list of games this week. Some of my favorite games on mobile are simple, fun, and addicting racing titles like DrawRace 2,so it’s nice to see a game that not only enters the genre with aplomb, but also has the gameplay and gorgeous visuals to back that bravado up.

What makes Slingshot Racing something special within the genre is the game’s namesake: the slingshot functionality used to whip your racer around corners. You’ll tap the screen to cause little towers to grab hold of your car and sling it around each turn. You have the option of playing Career Mode, but the real fun begins when you find a couple friends and fire up the Multiplayer. Each corner of your iPad can be used as one player’s control, and there’s something really amazing about playing against a friend in person. It’s something online multiplayer can’t really match in terms of experience, and it’s worth the price of admission alone.

Overall, Slingshot Racing is an incredibly good racer with some really cool mechanics in it, and Snowbolt Interactive should be proud of the excellent game they’ve created. This one’s a must-buy, especially if you have an iPad.

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Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The phone and tablet space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

LOSTWINDS 2: WINTER OF THE MELODIAS

iOS

The original LostWinds stands as one of my favorite iOS platformers, with its whimsical gameplay, lovely environments, and fun characters. The impossibly adorable Toku is back, and so is Enril the Wind Spirit. This time, Toku’s mom is missing, and he must travel far and wide to find her. Along the way, you’ll encounter lots of new places to explore and new inhabitants within them.

Enril the Wind Spirit is still the driving force behind most of the puzzle-solving during the game, and there are some patently tricky ones out there as the game goes on. It keeps the game interesting, though I’ll admit every now and again the controls can get fickle, resulting in attempting a number of puzzles repeatedly until the controls finally “click.” Overall though, it’s a minor inconvenience that shouldn’t hamper your full experience.

LostWinds2 is another classic iOS platformer, and for the price tag, there’s plenty to do, see, and collect across one completion. There’s a lot of heart in Toku’s journey, not to mention the rest of the game’s incredible heaps of charm, making it a definite buy if you love games in the genre.

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Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The phone and tablet space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

N.O.V.A. 3

iOS

Gameloft’s N.O.V.A. series is one of the best examples of an FPS shooter done right on mobile, and it’s no different with the newest installment in the series. N.O.V.A. 3 keeps all of the touches that make the franchise great and manages to toss some new features into the mix to keep things fresh. You’re still playing as Kal Warden, savior of the human race (on more than one occasion). Warden is helping out a friend located in the ruins of San Fransisco. Unfortunately, upon arrival, Warden finds the alien Volterites laying the place to waste, and must once again fight for his life and the rest of humanity’s.

The story in campaign mode is well-written and voiced, and the environments take full advantage of the new iPad’s Retina Display as well as it’s increased processor speeds. The overall visuals in N.O.V.A. 3 are stunning. In fact, they’re among the best FPS graphics you’ll currently see in mobile. A new (and welcome) feature is the addition of in-game currency based on how well you complete a level. That currency can then be used to purchase upgrades and weapons. It’s an excellent way to increase replay value on the single-player campaign, and if you’re not into perfection, IAP is available as well to buy those items.

Of course, what N.O.V.A. review would be complete without a nod to its most exciting component: multiplayer. With both local and online gameplay, a plethora of game modes (FFA, Team Deathmatch, Freeze Tag, CTF, InstaGib, and Capture the Point), and even tournaments, you’ll be playing N.O.V.A. 3 long after you’ve completed Campaign Mode.

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Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The phone and tablet space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

ESCAPE FROM AGE OF MONSTERS

iPhone | iPad

Jeff Matsuda creates some seriously wicked art in Escape from Age of Monsters. If you’ve never heard of Matsuda, you might have seen his work in The Batman animated series. Now, he’s once again bringing his talent to iOS with Escape from Age of Monsters, an endless runner with incredibly slick visuals and some crazy fun gameplay. The game takes place in the Age of Monsters, where denizens of the darker side of the universe (aliens, zombies, demons, and the like) have taken over. You play as Gizzard, a guy who’s just acquired some pretty epic gloves and a handful of orphans to protect.

Gizzard must strap on the gloves and run for his life while protecting said orphans from the evil creatures in hot pursuit. While they run, walls in either red or blue block their path, and you’ll need to tap the matching left or right glove to punch the wall down and keep moving. As endless runners go, this one’s a bit different: instead of getting one solitary life per run or a “x3” somewhere on the screen, each life is represented by an on-screen person (Gizzard being your final life). Get caught up on a door... and well, little orphan Suzie just got devoured. Mistime a punch, and tiny parentless Mike is now an appetizer. It’s devilish, dark, and freaking awesome.

Unlockables and an undeniably epic rock soundtrack provided by Los Angeles based band The Binges elevate Escape From Age of Monsters to another level. This game flat out bleeds cool.

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Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The phone and tablet space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

BURGER CAT

iOS

Oh, Burger Cat. You roped me in with your simple, adorable premise, and then held me (willingly) hostage with your elegant and fun gameplay. At first, you may write off Burger Cat as too simple. After playing through later levels, however, the game quickly becomes giddily complex, and you’ll retract your original mindset.

The story goes a little something like this: Burger Cat loves burgers (pretty obvious). He loves them so much, he decides to add a special ingredient to them to give them that extra kick. That ingredient is nitro glycerin. KA-BOOM.

You’ll spend your time in Burger Cat utilizing different tools to alter the landscape in each level, and then releasing your feline hero into that landscape after making those changes. The goal is to get him across the map to the delicious burger on the other side, and you get a finite number of pre-picked tools to do it with. Some remove/add squares of land, others change the direction the cat walks in; fortunately, Burger Cat encourages you to get creative with placement, often giving you more than what you need to complete each level and making the game incredibly enjoyable for gamers of all ages.

This is a game that slowly unfolds all kinds of measured, deliberate awesome on you, so take a chance. Plus, the “cat + cheeseburger” formula is a known winner (based on the entire internet).

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Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The mobile space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

DARK LEGENDS

Android

Games like Pocket Legends and Star Legends have rocketed Spacetime Studios into a small class of elite mobile MMO developers, which is why it’s no surprise their newest foray Dark Legends also belongs in that ultra-elite group. While Spacetime could have easily rested on its laurels and created a game with similar mechanics to their previous efforts, Dark Legends takes lessons and improves on what came before it. As a result, it’s both fun and deliciously dark.

The game takes place in the world of vampires, and we’re not talking about lame, sparkly dudes wooing sad little milksops. On the contrary, it’s a very Vampire: The Masquerade style of world (True Blood also comes to mind). Dark Legends focuses on the very sexy side of bloodsucking, and you’ll create a character to roam the streets and discover a sinister plot unfolding as you explore.

Spacetime’s well-executed character leveling system is intact, as well as a revamped mission setup with an energy system. Run out of energy, and you’ll have to either buy it via IAP, or rest your character for a spell. The costumes and different vanity looks certainly speak to the wild looks and characters you might see in the underworld of the undead, which I personally can attest to, as my character is currently rocking an Elvira-esque gown with a giant afro and dual wield machetes. Suck it, Team Edward. Dark Legends is your master now.

(P.S. - Don’t fret, iOS users. Dark Legends will be hitting your iPhone or iPad in the coming weeks!)

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Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The mobile space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

SWORDIGO

iOS

Finally, someone gets it. With Swordigo, we finally get a hack-and-slash iOS deserves. That’s a pretty bold statement, I know, but developer Touch Foo earns it handily with their beautifully crafted game. There’s a lot to love about Swordigo: a plucky Link-esque hero, lovely environments, some satisfying platforming and collecting action, and plain old, fun-filled adventure.

The controls in Swordigo really sing, and rarely was I angry at missed jumps or laggy response. You’ll often forget you’re experiencing the game without analog sticks or tangible controllers, which is a very good thing. I’m not sure how, but Touch Foo managed to cram around 6-8 hours of solid gameplay into Swordigo’s main story. If you’re a completionist freak like I am, you’ll spend more time than that, and that’s saying something for an iOS game. Any time you can get 5+ hours of non-repetitive gameplay on your iPad or iPhone, it’s worth mentioning.

Swordigo often feels like territory we’ve covered in gaming before; however, that feeling is also a comfortable assurance we’re in a place we know and love. It almost feels like coming home: you know what’s inside, but that’s okay, because its welcome and warm embraces fills you with contentedness.

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Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The mobile space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

FIBBLE: FLICK ‘N’ ROLL

iPhone | iPad

Fun fact: the same development company responsible for our Game of the Week is also responsible for creating one of the best sci-fi FPS games ever created in Crysis (and its glorious sequel). Fibble: Flick ‘n’ Roll isn’t anything like what I expected Crytek to make when I heard they were making an iOS game; however, that’s definitely not a bad thing, as Fibble is a really fun game with some very high production value.

Fibble’s an alien who’s crash landed on Earth, and it’s your job to help him navigate the house he’s landed in and find his alien friends. Each level consists of a little track for Fibble to roll through, and an environment with beautiful renders of objects corresponding to the room you’re currently in (toys, groceries, etc). Finding Fibble’s alien buddies lets you place them around each track to get to places Fibble wouldn’t be able to go by himself; for example, Byte will launch Fibble into the air if you tap the screen while Fibble is in proximity, getting him to otherwise unreachable areas.

Fibble is Crytek’s first foray into mobile gaming, but it’s a solid iOS title that brings great gameplay and gorgeous production value to your iPhone or iPad. It’s pretty crazy to see the makers of ultra slick sci-fi shooter Crysis also bring us the silly, fun world in Fibble: Flick ‘n’ Roll, but at the end of the day, all that matters is that Fibble is packed with delights you won’t want to miss.

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Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The mobile space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

ANGRY BIRDS SPACE

iPhone | iPad | Android

Finally, after numerous expansions and spin-offs, we’ve got Angry Birds Space, the first true sequel to Rovio’s 800lb. gorilla Angry Birds. If you haven’t heard of it... well, you’re probably allergic to electronics and can’t read this site. So does the sequel live up to its predecessor?

In a word: Absolutely.

In a genre where I was convinced there was no more ground to cover, Rovio stopped looking for that ground and turned their gaze to the stars. Angry Birds Space, as its title suggests, takes place off-planet, and the game shines because of it. Launching your birds now also has a gravity element tied into it: fling your bird into the halo of gravity surrounding asteroids harboring those pesky pigs, and use that gravitational pull to alter the bird’s trajectory and crush those green piggies. It feels familiar, sure, but it’s also fresh, and that’s no small feat.

There are very few people out there who haven’t experienced Angry Birds at least once, and it’s safe to say most of us using a mobile device will spend some time with Angry Birds Space. If opening weekend downloads are any indication (Rovio reports over 10 million downloads in a scant three days), I think it’s safe to assume this sequel’s already rocketed into the stratosphere... and beyond.

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Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The mobile space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

SKY GAMBLERS: AIR SUPREMACY

iOS

Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy was one of two games featured at the new iPad’s unveiling event, and that spotlight is well-deserved. This game is a great choice if you’re looking to show off the new iPad’s graphical capability, and it’s also a solid arcade flight game. I hesitate to call it a flight sim, because SG:AS cares not for the constraints of real life: you won’t find ultra-realistic gravity and physics in this title, but it doesn’t matter. You’ll have so much fun playing SG:AS that your brain will forgive and forget those choices almost immediately.

There are a couple low points, namely the atrocious story (or lack thereof), and the game’s seeming inability to deliver a decent tutorial. Some would argue the latter is an egregious error. Since the game isn’t a true simulator, it’s not too tough to pick up the controls fairly easily. There are also four separate types of control schemes to choose from, making it easy to get into the game at any skill level. If you have a new iPad, you must buy Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy. If you don’t, buy it because adrenaline-pumping shooters are freaking awesome, and because everyone loves a good old fashioned dogfight.

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Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The mobile space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

LIGHTOPUS

iOS

I’m going to go out on a limb and predict Lightopus will be a future Hall of Famer for the App Store. It's a mix of colorful environments, simple yet challenging gameplay, and upbeat soundtrack make for one of those “lightning in a bottle” games you can’t stop playing. You’re the last fully grown lightopus, and it’s your job to protect the baby lightopus (called “bulbies”) from certain annihilation. Each area has bulbies to collect, and bad guys to destroy.

Here’s where things get interesting. Instead of ramming those creeps head-on or performing some kind of attack, the bulbies that follow in your wake are your offense. You’ll have to maneuver around the bad guys in order to allow the bulbies to destroy the evil things headed your way. It makes for a fresh spin on an old concept, and powerups only enhance the twist.

Just about everything in Lightopus is designed for fun, including its environments. The dazzling neon landscapes and animated backgrounds are simply marvelous, and you’ll never tire of the sights you’ll see as you progress through the game. Now all I need is for developer Appxplore to give me this game in glorious retina display on my new iPad!

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Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The mobile space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

INCOBOTO

iOS (iPad)

There are lots of heavy hitters on the list this week, but Incoboto’s pedigree has had mobile gamers drooling over its launch for quite some time. It’s made by Dene Carter, who used to be a part of Lionhead Studios (Fable, anyone?), and the same care that went into that franchise oozes from Incoboto’severy nook and cranny. Inco is the last survivor of a terrible event that destroyed all the suns in his universe. With the help of a mischievous, adorable and star-hungry sun named Helios, Inco must traverse worlds filled with contraptions and collectibles to find answers and (hopefully) other humans.

Incoboto achieves both incredibly lonely and hilariously funny moments, which is rare to find in many a mobile game; in addition, the game’s soundtrack only enhances the haunting and whimsical Incoboto locations Inco visits. You’ll spend hours lost across worlds, solving puzzles, and wishing the game lasted forever after connecting with it. There’s no real way to describe Incoboto, but there are definitely inspirations ranging from Limbo to Super Mario Galaxy, which is no small feat. Oh, and one last thing: don’t miss reading every one of The Corporation’s signs.

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Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The mobile space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

CIRCADIA

iOS

I have a feeling Circadia is going to be a very controversial choice, but after playing it non-stop and marveling at how its simplicity and beauty. I feel it’s more than earned its spot this week as the top mobile title in my eyes. Circadia is unlike any music or rhythm game you’ve ever played. At first, it seems too basic, too simplistic. Progress a few levels, and the game opens up like a fine wine or rare flower.

Each level consists of colored dots that, when touched, play a note and send a ripple across the screen. In every level, the goal is the same: get every note ripple to intersect at the same time on top of a single white dot, playing a chord and completing the objective. It starts so simply it’s easy to write off; however, as the levels unfold, their increasing complexity becomes so beautiful and so challenging, it’s hard to remember why you ever had doubts about the game. You’ll find yourself lost in Circadia’s every note, and that’s a wonderful thing.

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Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The mobile space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

BEAT SNEAK BANDIT

iOS

Beat Sneak Bandit is the kind of game I love discovering, and the kind of game I love to see on mobile devices. It’s a rhythm game, but one that’s like nothing you’ve played before. Duke Clockface stole all the clocks in Pulsebury, and it’s up to the Beat Sneak Bandit to get the clocks back by sneaking into the Duke’s mansions and pilfering them. The rhythm part of the game is where its genius resides: you can only move the Bandit by tapping the screen to the beat of the song playing. At first, it’s very rudimentary; however, in later levels of the game, you’ll find yourself eyeballing the paths and rotations of spotlights, cops, and walls in order to collect the clocks and complete the level.

Each mansion has one clock with a red flag on it, which completes the area and allows you to move onto the next, and collecting the other clocks accumulates a tally over time, unlocking cool secret areas, like shadow levels. The music really pops, and the artwork is funky and gorgeous. One of my favorite parts of Beat Sneak Bandit is if you’re truly stumped on a level and fail it multiple times, the game asks if you’d like to skip it for the time being. It’s a nice touch that makes Beat Sneak Bandit even more fun for everyone in your family.

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Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The mobile space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

THE TINY BANG STORY HD

iOS (iPad) 

If you’ve been reading Knuckle Up for a while, you’ll recall how much I loved Machinarium a while ago. Now, I get to gush about The Tiny Bang Story. This game operates in a similar fashion with a couple of changes on board. You won’t be controlling an adorable robot. Instead, you’ll be putting back together Tiny Planet. It’s been hit by a meteor, and it’s up to you to pick up the pieces (sometimes literally) to rebuild.

There’s no text to read or conversations to be had with characters in The Tiny Bang Story, but you’ll find yourself immediately taken with the soft, whimsical music and beautiful landscapes as you make your way through Tiny Planet. Not only will you scour each location for puzzle pieces, you’ll also discover interesting (and sometimes exceedingly difficult) puzzles that must be solved to move on.

With games like The Tiny Bang Story and the recent Double Fine Kickstarter Project proving to be a major win for point-and-click adventure games, it’s pretty obvious the genre isn’t dead.

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